While I'm With You
by MouseyWolf
Summary: Sequel to While I'm Away. It's been four months since Judy and Nick started dating, and now their first holiday season as a couple together on the horizon. However, Judy is worried about her parents meeting Nick, and Nick is hiding something. As the weeks go on, things are brought out into the open as the couple faces their darkest demons, this time however, they'll do it together.
1. Prolouge

Four months.

Four beautiful months.

That is how long Nick and Judy have been together. The time from the night where the confessed their love to each other to now had been a whirlwind. It was a secret relationship, at first at least. However, when Benjamin Clawhauser caught the pair kissing in the hallway, word traveled fast. It was concerning for the couple at first, but in the end, it all kind of just worked out. Even Chief Bogo was pretty good with it, jokingly warning them to keep PDA to a minimum in the workplace.

Not everyone was ecstatic to see a fox and a bunny together romantically, but the complaints were few and far between. Both Judy and Nick had been at the receiving ends of choice words from doubters before, so this would wind up being no different. They were content with each other, and hearing someone go against that didn't phase them much.

After about two months, Nick heard a knock at his door. Opening it, he found Judy, who for once seemed out of breath. Sure enough, she had packed and toted all her things up the stairs and left them in front of his door. Playfully scolding Judy for not asking for help, he helped carry her stuff in. With that, Judy and Nick had moved in together. That was one of the parts of their relationship that they loved the most, things just happened, not everything had to be planned out and ceremonious.

If things were good before they started dating, things had only gotten better. Judy and Nick had even more energy and drive than ever before, and almost always had smiles on their faces. And those few moments in which one felt bad, like really bad, the other was there to comfort the other. If anything could have been better, they didn't recognize it, everything was absolutely perfect to them.

Autumn had turned to winter, and the holiday season loomed. Judy was both excited and anxious, she was ready to introduce Nick to her parents, but it was bound to be an interesting conversation to be sure. She'd soon find out exactly how much, because within a few weeks, they would go to Bunny Burrow, the both of them, and they'd be ready.

Nick too had plans, plans that Judy was very curious about. He was playing something off, his sneaking around a little, strange private conversations with Clawhauser that Judy would only ever seem to catch the tail end of. It didn't worry her much, everybody seemed to be cooking up some gift or plan this time of year, and Nick was obviously having fun with it, so for now, it was nothing more than a curiosity.

Things were perfect to them, however, they felt the same way about that before they were dating too. There were still worries for both of them, things that were holding them back. But, this time, they knew they'd have each other. Judy and Nick could face things together now. Secret plans, meeting parents, their jobs, and any self doubts felt so much more manageable. They were with each other, and that meant they had the world in their paws.


	2. Chapter One: A Day Worth Having

**Wow, this is kinda late, isn't it? Classes were hectic the past two weeks, so I haven't had much time to sit down and write. But Spring Break is here, and so is the official first chapter of While I'm With You!**

Another day just like any other. The sun was rising over the momentarily quiet city, the residents just now rising from their night's sleep to begin the day. On cue, the shrill beeps tore through the silence of the apartment. Of course, Judy was the one who sprang up to turn the alarm off, she always was the perkier of the duo in the mornings. With a bit of nudging, Nick drug himself from under the covers, letting out a satisfied yawn. Reaching over, Judy nuzzled Nick, before swiftly heading to the bathroom to tidy up. Nick chuckled a little "Are all bunnies so self conscious about their looks Carrots? I don't think a little bed head will kill you!" Standing up, Nick waited patiently for her to finish up, looking out the window lazily.

He had always assumed that his luck manifested in his years as a successful con artist, but now he knew that was nothing. This was luck incarnate. He couldn't think about it without grinning, knowing the life he had began to live. It was already amazing when he had started as a cop, but now that he was dating Judy, he couldn't think of anything better. Well, he could actually, he had been thinking on it for about a month now. Judy and him hadn't been dating for the longest time, but he already felt that all he needed was her. So, he started looking for a ring. Nick didn't intend to use it any time soon, but he wanted to just have it around, as an option. It would be the biggest legitimate purchase he ever made, and with a cop salary, it would probably take a while. But, he was determined to get that ring.

Nick's thought process was interrupted by the distinct feeling of a pillow being pelted at his head, a freshly showered Judy being the obvious culprit. "You haven't been standing there the whole time have you?" she asked, putting on the final parts of her uniform.

"Nah, I actually only just sat down over here, I just finished 400 pushups, and decided to take a breather" Nick replied, flexing his small forearms playfully. Another pillow collided with Nick as he made his way to the bathroom, hastily cleaning himself up. Soon, the couple were fully uniformed, ready to start another day on the ZPD. It was about as they'd expect from the job. Upon entering the precinct, Clawhauser gave them a cute and energetic compliment, a ritual that always succeed to make Judy blush and make Nick chuckle. They were running the beat today, too nothing crazy, nothing too boring.

The only real excitement they got was a small disagreement they broke up between two young lions. Nick was still immensely impressed by the bravado and skill Judy demonstrated out in the field. Even in seemingly small cases she'd have the drive and respect she did that first case all those months ago. He was definitely the sidekick in this little duo, not that he minded. Being Judy's right hand fox felt good, felt like he was really doing something to help animals.

After sending the disgruntled lions on their way, the cops returned to what was an otherwise uneventful beat. Despite what could be considered a slow day, they still had a lot of fun with their day. Passion helps in making even the slowest day fun if you like what you're doing, and they both loved police work. Judy had wanted it her whole life, and had worked hard at it beyond belief. She had been pushed and shoved, even regrettably by Nick himself, but she only ever quit when she thought she had ruined everything. It was in this regard that Nick felt a little ashamed about.

They had started off so similar, a young animal with hopes and ambitions who were told they couldn't follow those dreams because of what they were. But Nick didn't keep pushing like Judy, he just decided to let the world win, let it roll over who he wanted to be and just make him follow what society said. Not every aspect of the life it gave him was bad, he met Finnick, became wise about the world, and in the end he did meet Judy because of it. But a part of him still wondered what could have been. What if he hadn't waited so long to be who he wanted to be. What if he had used that uniform his mother worked so hard to get him just as much as the one he did now? Would things be better, would he want that life?

"Hey Nick, everything alright up in that head of yours?" Judy asked in a concerned tone, nudging Nick as she drove. He took a deep breath, before nodding a little to Judy.

"I'm fine Carrots, just going down memory lane" he replied.

"Oh... if you need to talk about it, I'm here for you." The look on Judy's face said it all. She knew some of Nick's darkest demons and memories, and it was safe, and correct, for her to assume the going down memory lane wasn't the happiest occurrence.

"I might just take you up on that Carrots, but let's not dwell on it now, we've got our whole lives to tackle that beast." The answer satisfied the both of them, and they soon found themselves wrapping up their day's work. Once back at the apartment, Judy started their dinner, microwaved carrots. Nick, as weird as it was, had to admit the taste had somewhat grown on him, and Judy obviously enjoyed them, so carrots were no issue for him. As the pair were enjoying their humble dinner sitting across from one another, Judy out of the blue asked a question.

"How do you feel about spending the holidays at Bunny Burrow?" The question threw Nick off guard, Judy had never asked about him visiting there before. He thought it over, everything he had heard about Judy's parents and her apparently massive amount of siblings seemed pretty nice, and if Judy was any indicator, Bunny Burrow raised their young well. Still pensive, he turned his gaze to Judy, and saw a rare sight, her flustered. She was usually rather level headed, he'd only succeeded in throwing her off a few times, and he'd seen even less success from other animals trying the same. Yet, she looked a little worried right now, almost like she thought she had crossed some unspoken line. Nick smile a little, planting a kiss on Judy's forehead.

"Of course I would Carrots, now c'mon, your food is getting cold!" Judy grinned, giving Nick a quick hug before returning to her food. Nick let out a content sigh, finishing up his food. Another day had gone by that he was proud to be apart of.


	3. Author's Note: So Uh, I've Been Missing!

**NOTE: THIS IS NOT THE NEXT "CHAPTER" OF THE STORY. THIS IS A NOTE EXPLAINING MY ABSENCE FROM IT.**

Hey there! It's me! The author! So uh, I started this account months back, and I sorta... stopped? A part of it was a huge case of writer's block, my PC dying leaving me on a sorta bad laptop, and a bunch of other stuff.

So uh... imagine my surprise when I check back in and people really, really want me to continue! My writing on DA doesn't have nearly as big of a following, and I can go weeks upon months without posting without as much as a cough safe for a few close friends. So... I guess this means I should get back to writing, huh?

If you wanna discuss something, leave a review or PM me! I'll try to be on a bit more and bring out another chapter soon!

And seriously, thanks a ton for the support, like, wow! You guys rock.

\- MW


	4. Chapter 2: Phoning It In

Judy woke up the next morning alone, no sign of Nick. It confused her at first, not seeing her partner sleeping in for as long as feasibly possible. That was of course, until she remembered today was her day off, just her's. The duo would usually do whatever possible to schedule their days off around each other's, but that would not always work out for them. Today was one of those days. The fact that she didn't have to usher Nick out the door herself was a pleasant surprise, he was normally a mess if she didn't push him.

Wanting to make the most out of the several hours of being alone, Judy quickly got cleaned up. Once her morning routine was said and done, she checked her phone for any messages. Sure enough, there was one, from her mother. "So, you're bringing this elusive boyfriend over this year?" read the message. Judy practically jumped out of her fur at reading it, she had completely forgot about asking Nick to come over to her hometown for the holidays.

Last night, the idea seemed like the next logical step for their relationship, but now? Now it felt like it was too much too fast. Her parents had gotten better about accepting predators recently, but seeing their daughter _date_ one? With a small sigh, Judy dutifully replied with a yes, knowing fully well she couldn't back down from this. Nick seemed so eager last night. Well, eager perhaps was not the best way to describe it, he definitely hesitated. Accepting was perhaps the more apt way of putting it.

"Oh God, do not tell me I'm the immature one here…" she groaned, reflecting on it. Nick really had been taking leaps and bounds in terms of acting more mature, but had Judy? She always prided herself on being resolute and understanding, yet here she was acting iffy about something she herself suggested. An embarrassed blush enveloped her face as she pondered this. She'd have to try and be better about this. If Nick was going to make such an effort, she would too.

Resolution slowly coming back to Judy, she began to try and formulate the best way to introduce Nick. Maybe over a video call, a nice, very distant, video call. Of course, that wasn't the best idea. If her parents got spooked or uneasy, they could simply hang up on him. They have been known to be somewhat blunt before, so she most definitely wouldn't put it past them.

Meeting face to face for the introduction was also possible. No way for either party to just walk away, especially not her parents. But, that method too was riddled with complications. For one, fox repellent, despite working with Gideon, Judy would be willing to bet her life her parents still carried a canister of it somewhere. She frowned a bit. Why was she selling her own parents so short? They've grown a lot recently, surely they'd be willing to accept Nick, right?

With a quiet sigh, Judy opened up her messages again. She needed to trust everyone more. Nick would be fine, her parents would be fine. Scrolling through her photos, she found one of her and Nick together, cuddled up close on their bed. After a brief moment of psyching herself up, she sent the photo to her mother.

For an instant, Judy felt great. She had managed to just rip it off like a bandage, no more drawing out the inevitable. That instant of pride was soon however overtaken by a sudden twinge of worry. She hadn't talked this over with Nick, she hadn't tried to ease her mother into it, she just pushed in! Starting to freak out, Judy looked at her phone. Her mother hadn't replied yet, thankfully, and without another instant of hesitation she turned her phone off.

Judy slumped down in bed, covering her face in a pillow as her breath slowly went back to normal. She shouldn't be this afraid. Half of Zootopia knows that she and Nick are a couple, why not her parents? Nick made her happy, and if her parents couldn't accept that, that's on them. But that was not the crux of the issue, Judy believed deep down that her parents would be accepting. They accepted her when she wanted to be a police officer, save for some less than encouraging speeches, but they accepted her for that nonetheless. Was it because what she was doing was in some ways taboo? Was she afraid that what she was doing would be looked down upon? Yeah, people in the city had varying reactions, but they were just strangers. This was her family.

More than just her family even, it would be all of the Burrow. What if they didn't accept their relationship? Judy's head was starting to hurt from all this. She loved Nick, and she loved her family, why was that so hard? Clinging to her resolve, she decided to be optimistic. She was excited last night, and she would try to be again.

The rest of the day passed in relative monotony. Judy decided to be uncharacteristically lazy, to "fill in the void an active Nick is leaving" she joked to herself. It wasn't that hard to push aside the focus on the holidays, mostly because Judy was so eager to leave it behind her. Deep down she knew she'd have to confront that, but that could wait until she could talk it over with Nick.

It was late afternoon when he finally came home. Decked out in his uniform, carrying boxes of take out. "Hey! Why didn't you answer your phone?" Nick asked, mildly irritated. Judy blushed the moment she realized she had never turned her phone back on. She reached to go do it, but then thought of the picture she sent her mother. Judy was not ready to face that, not yet. Seeing Nick was distracted by putting the food in the kitchen, she quickly slid her phone into the space between the mattress and the boxspring.

"Oh! Uh, I misplaced my phone earlier, I'll have to keep looking around for it." she called, feigning an exasperated tone. She didn't like lying to Nick, especially over something so trivial, but she didn't want to focus on the holidays right now, not on meet ups or the like. She wanted to focus on now, to be happy. "But enough about that! I'm starving!"


End file.
